The Mexican presidential election of 1910 was stolen when Porfirio Diaz - the longtime dictator, had his opponent
Madero arrested and imprisoned. Madero took refuge infled
to
Peoples, in their constant efforts for the triumph of the ideal of liberty
and justice, are forced, at precise historical moments, to make their greatest
sacrifices.
Our beloved country has reached one of those moments. A force of tyranny
which we Mexicans were not accustomed to suffer after we won our independence
oppresses us in such a manner that it has become intolerable. In exchange for
that tyranny we are offered peace, but peace full of shame for the Mexican
nation, because its basis is not law, but force; because its object is not the
aggrandizement and prosperity of the country, but to enrich a small group who,
abusing their influence, have converted the public charges into fountains of
exclusively personal benefit, unscrupulously exploiting the manner of lucrative
concessions and contracts.
The legislative and judicial powers are completely subordinated to the
executive; the division of powers, the sovereignty of the States, the liberty
of the common councils, and the rights of the citizens exist only in writing in
our great charter; but, as a fact, it may almost be said that martial law
constantly exists in Mexico; the administration of justice, instead of
imparting protection to the weak, merely serves to legalize the plunderings committed by the strong; the judges instead of
being the representatives of justice, are the agents of the executive, whose
interests they faithfully serve; the chambers of the union have no other will
than that of the dictator; the governors of the States are designated by him
and they in their turn designate and impose in like manner the municipal
authorities.
From this it results that the whole administrative, judicial, and
legislative machinery obeys a single will, the caprice of General Porfirio Diaz, who during his long administration has shown
that the principal motive that guides him is to maintain himself in power and
at any cost.
For many years profound discontent has been felt throughout the Republic,
due to such a system of government, but General Diaz with great cunning and
perseverance, has succeeded in annihilating all independent elements, so that
it was not possible to organize any sort of movement to take from him the power
of which he made such bad use. The evil constantly became worse, and the
decided eagerness of General Diaz to impose a successor upon the nations in the
person of Mr. Ramon Corral carried that evil to its limit and caused many of us
Mexicans, although lacking recognized political standing, since it had been
impossible to acquire it during the 36 years of dictatorship, to throw
ourselves into the struggle to recover the sovereignty of the people and their
rights on purely democratic grounds....
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For this reason the Mexican people have protested against the illegality of
the last election and, desiring to use successively all the recourses offered
by the laws of the Republic, in due form asked for the nullification of the
election by the Chamber of Deputies, notwithstanding they recognized no legal
origin in said body and knew beforehand that, as its members were not the
representatives of the people, they would carry out the will of General Diaz,
to whom exclusively they owe their investiture.
In such a state of affairs the people, who are the only sovereign, also protested
energetically against the election in imposing manifestations in different
parts of the Republic; and if the latter were not general throughout the
national territory, It was due to the terrible pressure exercised by the
Government, which always quenches in blood any democratic manifestation, as
happened in Puebla, Vera Cruz, Tlaxcala, and in other places.
But this violent and illegal system can no longer subsist.
I have very well realized that if the people have designated me as their
candidate. for the Presidency it is not because they have had an opportunity to
discover in me the qualities of a statesman or of a ruler, but the virility of
the patriot determined to sacrifice himself, if need be, to obtain liberty and
to help the people free themselves from the odious tyranny that oppresses them.
From the moment I threw myself into the democratic struggle I very well knew
that General Diaz would not bow to the will of the nation, and the noble
Mexican people, in following me to the polls, also knew perfectly the outrage
that awaited them; but in spite of it, the people gave the cause of liberty a
numerous contingent of martyrs when they were necessary and with wonderful
stoicism went to the polls and received every sort of molestation.
But such conduct was indispensable to show to the whole world that the
Mexican people are fit for democracy, that they are thirsty for liberty, and
that their present rulers do not measure up to their aspirations.
Besides, the attitude of the people before and during the election, as well
as afterwards, shows clearly that they reject with energy the Government of
General Diaz and that, if those electoral rights had been respected, I would
have been elected for President of the Republic.
Therefore, and in echo of the national will, I declare the late election
illegal and, the Republic being accordingly without rulers,
provisionally assume the Presidency of the Republic until the people designate
their rulers pursuant to the law. In order to attain this end, it is necessary
to eject from power the audacious usurpers whose only title of legality
involves a scandalous and immoral fraud.
With all honesty I declare that it would be a weakness on my part and
treason to the people, who have placed their confidence in me, not to put
myself at the front of my fellow citizens, who anxiously call me from all parts
of the country, to compel General Diaz by force of arms, to respect the
national will.
Source:
From United States Congress, Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Relations, Revolutions
in Mexico, 62nd Congress, 2nd Session (Washington, D.C.: Government
Printing Office, 1913), pp. 730-736, passim.